General Motors, in an attempt to streamline Chevrolet's brand identity, appears to be phasing out the ubiquitous "Chevy" nickname popularized by Don McLean and used in company advertising for decades.

The New York Times reports GM on Tuesday sent a memo to Chevy Chevrolet employees at its Detroit headquarters, requesting they stress the full brand name "to ensure Chevrolet becomes even more prominent and recognizable than it already is."

June 9, New York Times: We wanted to write you a quick note requesting your support of our Chevrolet Brand. When you look at the most recognized brands throughout the world, such as Coke or Apple for instance, one of the things they all focus on is the consistency of their branding. Why is this consistency so important? The more consistent a brand becomes, the more prominent and recognizable it is with the consumer. This is a big opportunity for us moving forward.

...One way to achieve this is with the use of Chevrolet vs. Chevy. We’d ask that whether you’re talking to a dealer, reviewing dealer advertising or speaking with friends and family, that you communicate our brand as Chevrolet moving forward.

Early reaction to the Times report hasn't exactly promoted the brand, with critics trashing both the memo -- Coke is short for Coca-Cola; Apple rarely uses its name on iProducts -- and the internal branding effort.

June 10, AutoBlog: In a nutshell, we feel that the Coke comparison GM uses in the memo is ultimately rather apt, given that the idea of memory-holing "Chevy" as part of some absurd branding exercise seems destined to be a failure on the level of New Coke. GM's got its work cut out for itself, regardless. As of right now, Chevrolet.com has 5,480 "Chevy" mentions on it according to Google. GM.com? 1,730 more. That Chevy is inextricably tied to Chevrolet is a reality GM's marketers are apparently divorced from.